Tragedy: 10 dead, nearly 50 rescued after migrant vessel capsizes off Malta

In a tragic incident, a migrant boat sank in an Italian river off Malta on Sunday.

So far, the Italian rescuers have recovered 10 bodies after a migrant boat capsized ‌off Malta, a coastguard statement said on Sunday.

According to the latest information provided by the coast guards, a fishing boat in the area rescued around 48 ‌people alive, out of about 60 reported to have set off.

Well coordinated with the Maltese authorities, the Italian coast guard immediately dispatched a patrol boat to the area, which has so far recovered 10 bodies.

As reported by the Coast Guard, the migrant ship, which had departed from Libya, carrying around 60 people, overturned about 45 nautical miles east-southeast of Malta.

As per the Maltese authorities and rescue teams, search operations in the area are continuing to save more people.

The coast guard, part of Italy’s navy, dispatched a patrol boat to the area where the migrant craft capsized at the request of Maltese authorities.

They said in a statement, "We are still searching an area approximately 52 miles southeast of Malta where the migrant vessel was reported to have capsized."

The Libyan coast is one of the main departure points for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa in small boats to Europe.

The Italian officials said the craft with around 60 people aboard had departed from Libya.

The European Union has an agreement with the Libyan government to reduce the number of migrants flowing through the country as thousands have died during the perilous journey.

Italy’s migration policies in the central Mediterranean have long relied on cooperation with Libya to curb departures, including support, training, and equipment for the Libyan coast guard to intercept migrant boats.